Bird Outings are meant to be a casual, local morning of birding. They are a great time to enjoy birds with others and find new areas to visit. You can work on bird identification by sight and sound. These outings are easy to join or leave at any time during the morning. You don’t have to commit to the entire walk if you have limited energy, ability, or time. All are welcome!
Birding-in-Place: Columbia Riverwatch
Sunday, October 18th
Leaders: Kiara Way and Sam Cable
Meeting Time: 8:00am (lasting until 10:00am)
Location: Marine Park (west beach)
Registration Required: Email Sam at scable@vancouveraudubon.org
We’re birding in place! Join us on the riverfront as we watch the water for grebes and gulls and whatever weird waterfowl the river provides. We’ll stay in one spot to observe the local birdlife, focusing on unique behaviors and vocalizations.
We recommend bringing a chair for this stationary outing. We will have a couple to loan out, but the beach here can be muddy and rocky and is generally not the most comfortable surface to sit on. A scope is not required but will prove useful for distant birds out on the water. The total distance between parking and our stakeout spot is about 200 ft. Parking is on flat, paved ground, but the path down to the beach is sloped and uneven across rocks and sand. If you would like assistance from your car to the spot, please let us know!
This outing is weather dependent so make sure you are registered so we can keep you in the loop. If you have any questions, contact Sam at scable@vancouveraudubon.org
Field Trips:
Field Trips are birding events that step outside of our immediate local area to explore biomes and target species that we might not be able to find at home. These events tend to involve increased travel and time commitments, lasting anywhere from half a day to multiple overnights throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Field Trip: JBLM & Nisqually NWR
Thursday, October 15th – Eagle’s Pride Golf Course & Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR
Leader: Randy Hill
Meeting time: 6:00am (leave by 6:10am)
Meeting Location: Salmon Creek Park & Ride
Registration Required: Register by emailing randy.hill.98642@gmail.com
Meet at the Salmon Creek Park and Ride to leave by 06:10, and drive directly to the JBLM Eagle’s Pride Golf Course at 1529 Mounts Rd SW, Dupont, WA 98327 (92 mi) with the host group at the Joint Base Lewis McCord golf course on their monthly walk that begins at 08:00; then a 10 minute drive back to Nisqually for an afternoon of trails and boardwalks at the refuge. This is an all-day trip of 12 hours, likely returning around 6pm. Spotting scopes will be handy, especially at Nisqually. Limit of four vehicles.
Targets: Fall migrant and some wintering songbirds, raptors, waterfowl and waterbirds across a diverse landscape of salt and freshwater habitats, forests, and mixed openings.
Pace: 1-2 – hiking trails and roads around the golf course, and flat trails and boardwalks at the refuge. Up to five miles of walking throughout the day.
Field Trip: Wahkiakum County
Thursday, October 29th – Puget Island, Julia Butler Hansen NWR, and Beyond
Leader: Randy Hill
Meeting time: 6:20am (leave by 6:30am)
Meeting Location: Salmon Creek Park & Ride
Registration Required: Register by emailing randy.hill.98642@gmail.com
Meet at Salmon Creek Park & Ride to carpool and leave by 06:30. We will drive up I-5 to Longview, then west on SR-4 to Cathlamet. Primary areas will include Puget Island, Julia Butler Hansen NWR, and far west to Altoona, looking across the bay toward Astoria. Expect migrants and wintering birds across mostly floodplain, fresh and brackish waters, and some mixed forested landscapes.
Spotting scopes will be handy for distant waterbirds and raptors. Limit of four vehicles.
Field Trip: Woodland Bottoms
Wednesday, November 11th
Leader: Randy Hill
Meeting time: 6:30am (leave by 6:45am)
Meeting Location: Salmon Creek Park & Ride
Registration Required: Register by emailing randy.hill.98642@gmail.com
Woodland Bottoms for waterfowl, raptors, cranes, gulls, songbirds and whatever. This will be mostly driving and stopping on dike roads or pullouts, or walking very short distances along the Lewis and Columbia Rivers. Possible addition of Kalama River.
Meet at Salmon Creek Park & Ride to carpool and leave by 06:45; a second meeting point further north (Ridgefield P&R 07:00 or Woodland P&R 07:15) can be arranged for those living north of Salmon Creek or if needing to return early. Expected return time early afternoon, or later if additions.
Bring a spotting scope (radios if you have them), and snacks or lunch. Limit 10 plus leader(s) in 4-5 vehicles.
Please review the current VAS Guidelines and Waiver before registering for a trip.
Safety is a primary concern for Vancouver Audubon, and we ask anyone who is feeling unwell or who has had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19* or other contagious health issues to stay at home until the risk for infection has passed. However, no public activity can be 100 percent safe. By participating, you accept the risk that you may come into contact with pathogens, including the COVID-19 virus.
For all field trips or other outdoor activities, Vancouver Audubon
requires:
– Participants wishing to carpool must be fully vaccinated**.
– Participants must be fully vaccinated to view through the leader’s or other participant’s spotting scope.
– Field trip leaders have the option of requiring all participants be fully vaccinated for their trips.
*Symptoms include: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.
**Vancouver Audubon defines “fully vaccinated” as two full weeks beyond your final COVID-19 vaccine. Each year a new variant vaccine is available and is highly encouraged.
Field trip registration and cancellations:
All field trips, unless otherwise indicated, require pre-registration. This simply involves contacting the leader or person indicated on the announcements, and supplying email address and cellphone #. Vancouver Audubon expects all registrants to attend, so please contact the leader with any cancellations. Some trips may have a wait list, so please be considerate and contact the leader as soon as possible if you have to miss the trip for any reason.
Carpooling:
Vancouver Audubon wants to be sure we conserve as much as possible (including using fuel efficient vehicles), so any field trip that includes some driving will be a carpooling trip unless otherwise indicated. Carpooling is generally arranged at the designated meeting location, but can be arranged in advance for multiple pick-up locations.
Please remember to pay your driver! The recommended amount is $0.30/mile divided by the number of passengers in the vehicle.
Leaders should keep track of mileage and let participants know the total for the field trip.
